Fuse holders

ABSTRACT

A modular fuse holder system capable of being adapted for various applications is based on fiber re-inforced H-beams having flange portions of different length.

ilnited States Patent [191 Salzer FUSE HOLDERS [75] inventor:

[73] Assignee: The Chase-Shawmut Company,

Newburyport, Mass.

Erwin Salzer, Waban, Mass.

[22] Filed: Jan. 31, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 328,423

[52] U.S. Cl 339/2191, 339/252 F, 337/215 I [51] Int. Cl 1101! 9/08 [58] Field of Search 339/219 R, .219 F, 252 F, 339/253 F, 256 C, 258 F, 259 F, 262 F, 265 F; 337/215, 208, 186

[56] References Cited v UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,171,002 2/1965 Kinnear 337/215 [451 May 7,1974

3,111,567 11/1963 Stewart et a1 ..'200/120 Primdry Examiner-Bobby R. Gay Assistant Examiner-Robert A. Hafer Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Erwin Salzer [57] ABSTRACT A modular fuse holder system capable of being adapted for various applications is based on fiber reinforced H-beams having flange portions of different length.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures memtnm 1 m4 SHEET 2 BF 2 W lG.4. 4

FUSE HOLDERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Electric cartridge fuses when installed are generally inserted into fuse holders which include apair of fuse clips supported by an insulating base. The latter is intended to be mounted on a switch board, control panel, and the like. The aforementioned bases are uniformly mass-produced injection moldings or uniformly massproduced ceramic bodies.

There are many instances where electric fuses must be provided with special fuse clips, or other fusereceiving terminals, or arranged in a special way, and this calls generally for manufacturing custom-made panel boards on which the fuse clips, or other fusereceiving terminals, are directly mounted. Manufacturing custom panel boards is relatively expensive. Custom panel board are generally made of ebony asbestos cement which is a heavy material so that the cost of transportation of such panel boards tends to be excessive.

It is, therefore, one object of this invention to provide modular fuse holders which can take the place of panel boards, are much less expensive to manufacture than conventional panel boards, and whose weight is very small in comparison to that of conventional panel boards.

Another object of this invention is to provide fuse holders which lend themselves particularly well to be back-connected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A fuse holder embodying this invention includes a pair of aligned fuse clips arranged in spaced relation and an H-beam of substantially uniform cross-section throughout its length formed of glass-fiber-reinforced synthetic resin and having a web portion supporting said pair of fuse clips on one side thereof and having flange portions. The height of said flange portions projecting from said one side of said web portion exceeds the height of said flange portions projecting from the opposite side of said web portion.

'BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS F IG. 1 is a front view of a fuse holder embodying the present invention adapted for back connection;

FIG. 2 is generally a side elevation of the structure of FIG. 1, some portions of the I-I-beam being broken away and showing some details in section rather than in elevation;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the H-beam shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an end view of a polyphase fuse holder embodying the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a front view of the fuse holder of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. l-3 thereof, numeral 1 has been applied to generally designate an H-beam formed of glass-fiberreinforced synthetic resin. Beam 1 has a web portion 2 and flange portions 3,4. A pair of aligned fuse clips 5 is arranged in spaced relation on, and supported by, web portion 2 of I-I-beam l. The side of web portion 2 supporting fuse clips 5 has flange portions 3 whose height H exceeds the height h of the flange portions 4 projecting from the side of web portion 2 opposite to that supporting fuse clips 5. Thus H-beam I defines a pair of channel-shaped spaces of which the upper is relatively large and the lower is relatively small. The upper space receives the fuse clips 5'proper, and also a fuse which may be inserted into clips 5. The outline of such a fuse has been indicated in FIG. 2 by dash-anddot lines and reference character F has been applied to these lines. Fuse clips 5 are affixed to web portion 2 by screws 5b. Each fuse clip 5 includes a projection 5a having two bends of Web portion 2 of H-beam l is provided with a pair of rectangular cut-outs 2a. The projections or tangs 5a of fuse clips 5 extend from the surface above web portions 2 through cut-outs 2a to the surface .below web portions 2 and abut against the latter. Hex screws 6 project through web portions 2 and projections or tangs 5a to the space bounded laterally by flange portions 4. These screws 6 support hex nuts intended for securing cable shoes to projections or tangs 5a, thus leaving the front side of the fuse holder unencumbered by electric cables. The fuse clips 5 proper and the projections or tangs 5a thereof are formed by a unitary work-piece of metal, thus minimizing the number of interfaces which exist between the terminal means or blades of a fuse and the cables forming the circuit into which the fuse is connected. Reference character 8 has been applied to indicate a pair of annular metallic inserts in web portion 2 of H-beam 1 to allow I-I-beam l to be screwed against any appropriate supporting surface.

Referring now to FIG. 3 showing a cross-section through H-beam 1, the latter is reinforced by a pair of channel-shaped woven glass-cloth inserts 9', 9, 9 and l0, 10, 10'. Inserts 9', 9, 9' and 10, 10, 10 have web portions 9 and 10, respectively, of equal length which are arranged back-to-back. Insert 9', 9, 9' has relatively long flange portions 9, 9' and insert l0, 10, 10' has relatively short flange portions 10', 10'. H-beam 1 may be reinforced by glass roving in addition to woven inserts 9, 9, 9' and 10', l0, l0 and the synthetic resin may include conventional additives or fillers. The synthetic resin of which I-I-beam is made is preferably polyester. g

In FIGS. 4 and 5 the same reference characters as in FIGS. 1 and 2 have been applied to indicate like parts. I-Ience FIGS. 4 and 5 call only for description of such features thereof which differ from those of the structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The fuse holder of FIGS. 4 and 5 includes a pair of H-beams of the same kind as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 and described in connection with these figures. The H-beams 1 have abutting flanges or flange portions 3, 4, and are attached to eachother at their abutting flange portions, preferably by cementing. The web portions 2 of H-beams 1 support fuse clips 5'. Anelectric fuse 11 having blade contacts 12 is inserted into each pair of fuse clips 5'. Fuse clips 5 are adapted for front connection rather than rear connection.

It will be apparent from FIGS. 2 and 4 that the flange portions 3, 4 form effective barriers for separating each fuse and its terminals and fuse clips from other parts which are at a different electric potential.

The H-beams forming part of this invention are beams formed by poltrusion. This is a process for producing reinforced plastic profiles in continuous lengths by pulling the raw materials through combined shaping and curing stations. As a result, beams formed by the above process have uniform cross-sections throughout the length thereof. A deviation from the uniformity of cross-section throughout the length of poltruded beams is limited to points which have been machined upon completion of the beam such as at the cut-outs 2a, the bores for receiving hex-screws 6, etc. A beam whose cross-section is initially uniform throughout its length and whose cross-section has thereafter been altered at discrete points may be referred-to as a beam having a substantially uniform cross-section throughout its length.

I claim as my invention: 1. A fuse holder including a. a pair of aligned fuse clips arranged in spaced relation; and b. an H-beam of substantially uniform cross-section throughout its length formed by glassfiberreinforced synthetic resin, said beam having a web portion and flange portions, said web portions supporting said pair of fuse clips on one side thereof,

the height of said flange portions projecting from' said one side of said web portion exceeding the height of said flange portions projecting from the opposite side of said web portion, the glass fiber reinforcement of said H-beam including a pair of channel-shaped woven glass-cloth inserts having web portions of equal length and flange portions of unequal length, said web portions of said pair of inserts being arranged back topback inside said web portion of said H-beam and the flange portions of said inserts extending into the flange portions of said H-beam.

2. A fuse holder including a. an l-l-beam having a web portion and flange portions projecting in opposite directions from said web portion, the flange portions projecting from one side of said web portion exceeding in height the flange portions projecting-from the other side of said web portion; and

b. a pair of fuse clips arranged in spaced relation on the side of said web portion of said l-l-beam adjacent the flange portions thereof of greater height, each of said fuse clips being provided with a tang,

'said tang of each of said pair of fuse clips projecting tang. 

1. A fuse holder including a. a pair of aligned fuse clips arranged in spaced relation; and b. an H-beaM of substantially uniform cross-section throughout its length formed by glass-fiber-reinforced synthetic resin, said beam having a web portion and flange portions, said web portions supporting said pair of fuse clips on one side thereof, the height of said flange portions projecting from said one side of said web portion exceeding the height of said flange portions projecting from the opposite side of said web portion, the glass fiber reinforcement of said H-beam including a pair of channel-shaped woven glass-cloth inserts having web portions of equal length and flange portions of unequal length, said web portions of said pair of inserts being arranged back to back inside said web portion of said H-beam and the flange portions of said inserts extending into the flange portions of said H-beam.
 2. A fuse holder including a. an H-beam having a web portion and flange portions projecting in opposite directions from said web portion, the flange portions projecting from one side of said web portion exceeding in height the flange portions projecting from the other side of said web portion; and b. a pair of fuse clips arranged in spaced relation on the side of said web portion of said H-beam adjacent the flange portions thereof of greater height, each of said fuse clips being provided with a tang, said tang of each of said pair of fuse clips projecting through an aperture in said web portion of said H-beam from one side of said web portion to the other side thereof, and said tang of each of said pair of fuse clips being arranged in abutting relation to said other side of said web portion of said H-beam and positioned by screw means projecting through said web portion of said H-beam and through said tang. 